Would A Rose Smell As Sweetly
by Jesrever
Summary: Rukia. Even before she was a noble, she possessed that grace, charm and elegance befitting one. Even before she was out of my reach, she was already untouchable. RenRuki
1. Rukia

_Set during the time of preparation for the Winter War. Just to make stuff clear, I don't own Bleach and also, I wrote this not because I support Renruki, but because I had to at least write SOMETHING. And I'm also new, so spare me the flames -.-  
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><p>RUKIA<p>

I flash-stepped into the air and killed yet another Hollow, trying my hardest to stop thinking about **him**.

It had been about a day since all of us had come to Karakura-cho to prepare for the Winter War, and with all the reiatsu from the Shinigami, the Hollows had increased significantly. With Madarame and Yumichika neglecting their duties, Matsumoto-fukutaicho most likely distracted by sake, and Hitsugaya-taicho probably chasing after her, the only people actually doing their duties were probably me… And Renji.

And with that, my thoughts strayed back to him again.

I just couldn't understand why I always thought of him. Why my breath caught whenever he said my name, and why whenever he was in the same vicinity, my heart started beating faster and I had to do everything I could not to stare at him. He was-he **is **my best friend, the person I could always confide in, the one I always had by my side…

I dodged another Hollow's scythe-like hand and sliced it into smithereens.

I have always looked up to him and I've been really close to him since Rukongai. Does that mean I'm in love with him?

But these are just trite human emotions! Nobles aren't supposed to show emotions, even adopted ones!

Suddenly I thought of Hisana. Nee-sama had human emotions. He had loved her.

'**You just don't want to admit it to yourself.'**

I hate it sometimes when Sode No Shirayuki is right.

Slicing off another Hollow's arm, I aimed for the kill while trying to think of another excuse for an argument already lost.

'_Those stupid Kuchiki elders are just waiting for me to mess up, and I'll be damned if I give them another reason to hate me.'_

'**But that isn't the only reason why, is it?'**

Sode No Shirayuki already knew the answer. She just w anted me to face it.

'_It's too painful to love. I learnt that a long time ago.'_

'**Yet, maybe this is someone you should take a risk for.'**

I cut the last Hollow's mask and it finally disappeared, leaving only a trace of its reiatsu in the air.

'**Or maybe you're just afraid he doesn't like you back.'**

'_Ridiculous on both counts.'_

I sheathed her and she stopped talking/thinking. She didn't mind not having the last word, because she knew she was right. Worse still, I knew she was right. I sighed to myself and flash-stepped to the nearest roof, taking out my sketchbook. Maybe drawing some Chappys will forcibly stop me from liking the one person I couldn't have.

So maybe I did like him. Maybe I actually liked the fuzzy feeling I got whenever I thought of him, and didn't mind the involuntary smile that came every time our eyes met.

Maybe I was in love with him.

I sighed. I was acting my **human age**.

But how long had I been in denial about this? Would I do anything about it or just be content with just having the simple, mindless friendship I always had with him, always getting close then drawing back?

'**You already know the answers to these questions. Just face it.'**

I sighed. Sode No Shirayuki was right again.

It had started when I had first seen him, laughing and stealing water from that old guy with everyone else. He would have gotten caught if I had not tripped the guy up and run for it with them, being extremely thirsty myself. That was when I first noticed how his eyes sparkled, and how even though he was headstrong and sometimes irritating, he still cared about his friends and fought for them until the death.

I wasn't going to do anything to change the friendship I had with him. One wrong move and it would be gone forever.

Not paying attention, I drew a Chappy with red hair and black tattoos. Giving him a Shinigami Shikashuo, I added Zabimaru his right hand.

How much did I really love him?

'This is crazy.' I said aloud.

'Yeah, that drawing **is** crazy. Is that supposed to be me?'

I cursed in a manner extremely unbefitting of a lady and sprung up into the air, hiding my sketchbook from sight. Speak of the devil….

'Yo, Rukia.'

He grinned that boyish grin which I recognised from the times we were in Rukongai. Hiding my embarrassment, I quickly stuffed my sketchbook back into its hiding place and faced him.

'That was actually….'

'Some rabbit with red hair that is a Shinigami and is carrying a zanpakuto that looks almost exactly like Zabimaru.'

I started shouting. Did he do that just to piss me off?

'IT'S A BUNNY!'

'RABBIT, BUNNY, SAME THING!'

…

'You are so annoying.'

'But you love me anyway.'

I stared at him. **Did he just say what I thought he did?** His face still held that handso- I mean,_ irritating_, grin and he didn't seem to realise what he had just said was the truth.

'Baka, what are **you **doing here?'

Pretending like I didn' t care, I folded my arms and stared defiantly at him. His grin faltered slightly, noticing the stress on the word **you**.

'What's up with you? You aren't usually this irritated when I surprise you.'

He took a step closer towards me. Feeling heat rush to my cheeks, I averted my gaze to the roof tiles.

I was **blushing**. Because of** him**.

'**Well, that's a first.'**

'_Shut up.'_

'Huh? Why?'

I met his gaze again and saw Renji staring at me with a confused expression. Wait, did I just say that out loud? I sighed and placed my hand on the hilt of my meddling zanpakuto.

'I was talking to Sode No Shirayuki. She just won't get off my case about… Certain private matters.' I muttered.

His eyebrows lifted and he smiled again.

'That is exactly what Zabimaru does sometimes! He literally had to force me to come talk to you!'

What? Was I really that horrible that Zabimaru had to convince him to talk to me? What did I do? Was there something he was irritated about? Realising he had said the wrong thing, Renji continued.

'Well, no offence Rukia, it's just that Uruhara is really getting on my nerves calling me freeloader and making me do random errands. So if I could bunk with Ichigo, I really would appreciate it and….'

He continued to ramble on, oblivious of my shell-shocked expression. Him? Ichigo? Did he mean one room? Where would I sleep? Is he planning to share the closet with me or something? The top shelves are already full of all the gigai's we had stashed there!

'…He actually made me make all the food for Yoruichi **and **restock the entire shop! You have no idea how many products there really is there. Anyway, so if you help me convince him and everything, it would really help me out and all, so could you? Please?'

He looked at me and my breath momentarily caught, mind scrambled. Man, how did he do those **eyes**? I already couldn't say no to him on a regular basis, why did he just add **those **to the mix? Coherency, Rukia, just act like a Kuchiki and try not to notice how hot he really is. Or how his usually squinted eyes have suddenly attained a fiery intensity strong enough to thaw me on the spot. Or how his uniform has slipped open somewhat to reveal tattoos that kept going down, down, down….

I took a step away from him and half-glared at him, borrowing the look from Nee-sama's wide 'vocabulary'.

'Fine, but I will only see if he is predisposed to the idea.'

I turned around and flash-stepped in the direction of Ichigo's house, feeling Renji's reiatsu following me. Sode No Shirayuki sighed internally, and I knew why.

'**If you keep doing pushing him away he might just give up someday.'**

Getting more irritated by the moment, I thought, 'Give up on what? Me? There isn't a reason why he would possibly like me at all. We're just friends to him, and I am not going to risk that for my own selfish reasons.'

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><p>'OI, ICHIGO!'<p>

My shout was soon followed by a kick to Ichigo's head. Taking advantage of his open window, I sailed through, closely followed by Renji. When said kick had been delivered, I turned in mid-air and landed on the floor next to his bed.

Ichigo sat up, rubbing where I had hit him.

'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, RUKIA!'

Renji stepped through the window into the room and saved me the trouble of replying.

'You didn't notice you Combat Pass ringing, baka.'

Ichigo glanced at his pass worriedly and I sighed in exasperation. 'I took care of it for you, Ichigo. But the next time I'm not going to let you off that easily!'

I karate chopped him on the head once more to illustrate my point, my irritation at myself lashing out at him instead. For some reason, Ichigo twitched in anger. He must have been as frustrated as I was at something else before I had sailed through his window.

'I was listening to music, and I didn't notice. So what? From your unscathed appearance, it couldn't have been **that **bad. Anyway, why'd you come back with Renji?' Ichigo went back into his signature scowl.

'He wants to bunk with you.' I rolled my eyes, placing my hands on my hips. By now Kon should have-

'NEEEEEEE-SAAAAAAANN-oooff!'

I kicked him and he bounced of the wall with a cute squeak. 'You make too much noise, Kon.'

The Strawberry snapped.

'NOISE? TALKING ABOUT NOISE, WHO DO YOU THINK JUST KICKED ME IN THE HEAD WITH A SHOUT SIMILAR TO SOME WAR CRY?'

'WHAT? DON'T BLAME ME! IF YOU WANT SOMEONE TO BLAME, BLAME THE RED PINEAPPLE HEAD GUY FOR-…FOR WANTING THE CLOSET!'

'WHAAAT? RED PINEAPPLE HEAD GUY? I DON'T LOOK LIKE SOME RETARDED RED PINEAP-'

'Kurosaki-kun? Is that you making all that noise?'

…

Shit.

Ichigo threw us into his closet and slammed the door. 'It's my sister! Just hide in there for a while, will you?'

Argh. I am so going to **kill **Ichigo.

This was the primary thought in my mind till I noticed that I using Renji's lap as a seat.

In a very enclosed area.

In the dark.

With my hands on his chest and our faces very, very,** very close.**

**Shit.  
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><p><em>Wow, that's a cliff-hanger isn't it. Well anyway, review and tell me what you think. It's going to be only a two-shot, unless you want it continued. I'm sure I spelt some Japanese words wrong, so I'll correct them in the next chapter when it's Renji's point of view.<em>

_Ciao!_

_Alice_


	2. Renji & Omake

Ummm… Hi? Okay, whatever, I don't own Bleach because if I did it wouldn't be so kick-ass, Tite Kubo is awesome, I don't actually support RenRuki, and I would much rather you start reading the story instead of reading this. Okay, getting on with the show now. Ja mata ne!

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><p>RENJI<p>

Fate has horrible ways of making you wish you were dead, but prolonging your life anyway.

We might have stayed in that same position for hours, or days, but after a while, my body disconnected from my brain and started doing things on its own.

I kissed her.

The only one I wanted to protect the most in my life, the one I had trained to attain Bankai for, the one I fell in love with the moment she had helped me steal water back in Rukongai.

I wanted to spend the rest of my existence with her.

Rukia.

She froze for a moment, surprise clearly etched on her porcelain features. For a moment I could pretend she liked me back and that we might have an actual chance of being together.

Then the moment broke. She scrambled to the opposite side of the closet and didn't face me. Suddenly, I wanted to take everything back, to apologise and even kill myself or anyone else if she would be happier. I just gazed at her back, knowing that I had done something that might have completely ruined our friendship.

The closet door opened. 'Sorry guys, Yuzu wouldn't stop talking because Kon had run away so I had to help her find him and everything…'

The moment the door had opened Rukia had hopped out and reopened the window one more. It registered in my head somewhere which gave a shit that one of them must have closed it while we were in the closet together.

'Rukia, what's up with you?'

She turned back and I could see the mask forming, the one hiding her true emotions and leaving her without feeling. I recognised it from my taicho, Byakuya. Has she been taking lessons or something from him?

'I'm going to go sleep with Inoue. Renji,' she spat out my name like it was a bad word, 'can go sleep with you for all I care.'

'Wait, Rukia!'

Ichigo rubbed the side of his head. 'Man, Renji, what did you do in there? She hasn't been this upset since,-since who knows when.'

Only half-listening, I was already out of the closet and almost out the window.

'I kissed her.'

Without bothering to hear his response, I launched out the window and tried to look for her reiatsu. True to her word, she was heading towards Inoue's house. Regret pooling in my stomach, I chased after her, trying to form a logical argument in my head.

'It was a mistake, I didn't mean to.'

'Too idiotic, you have to tell her how you actually feel this time.'

I sighed, irritated though thankful that at least Zabimaru could help me.

'Just wing it, Renji. Isn't that how you've always done things?'

He did have a point. Nostalgia overwhelmed me as I remembered the last time she had pushed me away like that was because she had just become adopted into the Kuchikis. That was the last time I had really talked to her for a while. After that, I had trained and trained to try and surpass her brother, the one who had made her untouchable for a street mutt like me…

Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly realised Rukia was going higher into the air. Why? Increasing my speed, I shadowed her until she came to a stop above the houses in Karakura-cho, her back turned to me. I saw my chance and took it.

'Rukia, I-'

'Save it for someone who cares.'

Her words ran me through like a sword. I knew it. Why did I have to take things too far, to the point where our relationship could not be repaired? I should have been content with just howling at the moon and the stars, only wishing I could touch them instead of reaching out and trying to grab a shooting star, just out of my reach.

I had been frozen by her grace, her charm, her elegant beauty, foolishly thinking the star would continue to fall forever without being taken by someone else.

'I care about you.'

I heard her sniff. Was she crying?

'Rukia, I may just be a friend to you. I may be the small street ruffian you will always remember for stealing water and almost getting caught. In your mind, I may only be your friend, the one who may not have always been there for you but still catching you when you fall. You pushed me away sometimes. Every time you pretended to not notice my existence after you became a noble, I died a little bit inside. Even so, I was fine with it, fine with just training and practicing and waiting for the moment when you would look at me again and smile, with that rare beauty you possess.

'I love you. I love you so much even if you don't love me back; no matter how painful it will be I'll still be there for you. I will always be here if you need me, but just don't push me away from you. To me, that's more painful than anything else I could suffer. When you find someone you think you want to spend the rest of your life with, just remember you have a choice.'

The surprise on her face was too much to bear. I could almost feel her sympathy, her rejection. I could nearly see the pity in her eyes.

I was not good enough for her. I would never be. I could feel my depression rising, threatening to spill over. Hiding my pain, I turned around. 'Well, it was worth a shot.'

I ran, even when I heard her calling my name. I didn't really need to be masochistic about the whole affair. Even though I had said I would be there for her, I still needed time to break down in some quiet corner. I hope she understood.

'Bakudo no hachi: Seki(Repulse).'

I saw the shield appear in front of me a moment too late to stop myself from crashing into it.

Ow.

As its name referred, it repulsed and paralysed me. I fell onto the roof of a house and couldn't move fast enough to stop the next attack.

'Bakudo no yon: Hainawa(Crawling Rope)!'

The crackling rope of energy shot from Rukia's hand and wrapped around me. What, was she now turning sadistic?

'What the hell, Rukia? What was that for anyway? Did you really need to do that?'

'YOU(TEMEI) WOULDN'T STOP, BAKA!'

Ouch, both temei and baka in the same sentence? She must be seriously pissed off. Landing in front of me, she smiled. 'Did you even think I would let my best friend run away from me in so much pain?'

I didn't even hear half of what she said. All I could register was her face slowly drawing nearer towards me, her eyes slowly closing until she rested her lips lightly against mine for a few, sweet seconds. She broke the kiss and smiled at me, her face slightly flushed.

'Well, Ichigo's sister certainly never called him Kurosaki-kun in his life, and that did sound a lot like Inoue. Wanna go do some spying?'

She undid the kudo and flash-stepped to the next roof, turning back to tease me.

'Well, are you coming?'

I smiled and went to her side, drawing her hand in mine and eliciting a look of surprise on her face. How very uncharacteristic of her. It suited her.

'What're you gonna do if I get there faster than you?'

I coupled the words with my face drawing nearer to hers. She tried- and failed, to hide her rapid breathing.

'Well, who said you were?'

Her face went closer and closer to mine. I closed my eyes slowly, expecting to feel her lips on mine…

She disappeared.

I wildly looked around, tracing her reiatsu rapidly going towards the Kurosaki clinic. She tricked me! I laughed to myself and kicked into gear.

Maybe this time, the mutt could keep the star.

FIN

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><p><span>Omake- Ichigo<span>

'Kurosaki-kun? Is that you making all that noise?'

…

Shit.

I threw them into my closet and slammed the door. 'It's my sister! Just hide in there for a while, will you?'

To bothered to care whether they were hurt in the flinging process, I spun around my room, closing the windows and rearranging the pillows on my bed. Trying to act natural, I put my headphones around my neck.

I knew who that voice belonged to, and it wasn't my sister.

Inoue knocked on the door of my room and opened it timidly.

'Kurosaki-kun, is that you?'

I sighed internally. Inoue was the bane of my existence. I knew she had this major crush on me (I wasn't really as dense as everybody assumed I was) and I only hung around her because of Tatsuki. To be honest, I think she would look much better with Ishida than me. Everyone can tell he has the hots for her, even if he thought he was disguising his glances at her with the flash of light that occurred whenever he pushed up his glasses, though I always never saw them slide down.

'Inoue, what is it?'

'Sorry for coming in, it's just that your dad let me in and told me to come up.'

She shuffled her feet on the floor and didn't really look me in the eye.

'Well… I have these concert tickets to ReIgn on Saturday… You wanna go with me?'

She looked up hopefully, a blush colouring her cheeks. I sighed and decided to play matchmaker..

'Well actually, I have to… go meet a friend from Tokyo who's visiting on that day, but why don't you ask Ishida? I'm sure he would love to go with you, and I heard he likes ReIgn.'

I smiled at her. Hopefully she would get the hint. I didn't actually know if he did like them, or had even heard of them for that matter, but I did remember the logo being something rather similar to a Quincy cross.

'Ah! Ishida-kun? Well… actually that isn't a bad idea.'

She smiled at me. I looked for a trace of sadness in her eyes, but there seemed to be none. Did she like Ishida more than she let on? I hoped so.

'Yeah! Eto… sorry for kicking you out, but I was studying and stuff just now… and-'

'Oh! Gomen-nasai! I'll go then!'

She bowed slightly and walked to the door. 'Thanks, Kurosaki-kun.'

I smiled. Maybe matchmaking wasn't so hard at all.

'Anytime, Inoue.'

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><p>It's done! Okay, eto is umm, gomen-nasai = sorry and if you didn't already realise I've made up ReIgn.<p>

Please give me constructive criticism and don't flame! If you want flames watch Hell Chapter. I know the grammar is off at some (ALL) parts of the story, so if you tell me I'll correct it. I'm NEW so lay it thick kay? Rukia is OOC isn't she? I'll work harder, I promise! Thanks Nick for reading this first, it's changed A LOT since then. My next will be a Bleach-Shugo Chara crossover for my two friends.

Till then,

Alice 3


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